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Expanded learning offers more hours, but not more of the same

In the Jefferson County Public Schools, expanded learning hours began in a few buildings last summer and this fall with the help of small grants — and the concept will grow thanks to a new cash infusion that expands the effort in four Colorado districts.

And while it's too soon to point to much data, early anecdotal evidence suggests some positive effects, said Ami Prichard, president of the Jeffco teachers union, which collaborated on the projects.

A reduced failure rate at a middle school and reversal of the usual summer learning loss at an elementary school are among the encouraging signs of a concept that isn't just about longer days but different ways of using that extra time.

Colorado Classroom covers local and state education issues affecting K-12 and higher education students in the state of Colorado.

"If we can provide kids with a longer day that allows them to have electives, explore arts, become critical thinkers, as well as learn basics, we're all better off," Prichard said. "This is not more of the same but something additional."

Teacher buy-in and getting parents and administrators on board stand as key elements as schools aim to add 300 hours of instructional time to the current schedule.

"As long as teachers are in the process, given a say in implementation, I don't see the contract holding us back on that," Prichard said.

Research on extended learning time points to a potential for better outcomes — "but it hardly guarantees it," said Kevin Welner, professor of education and director of the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

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"The opportunity would be wasted if we merely intensify what we already do," he said. "These districts would be making a huge mistake if we look at the gift of extra learning time and treat it as a chance for more testing and more test prep."

The old model of extended learning simply paid teachers to spend more hours in the classroom, said Michael Griffith, a school-finance consultant for the Denver-based Education Commission of the States.

But this venture provides seed money for what will become a cost-neutral effort by revamping teachers' schedules and providing more professional development, he added.

"We rarely find a program that has this level of success and is not something that will break your budget," Griffith said.

The payoff could show up in test scores, but experts also look to other measures, such as lower dropout rates, advancing to college and overall engagement.

"We all know there are things in education that are hard to measure," said Prichard. "Love of learning is hard to quantify. But results of that are seen in many ways. When you're happy at school, when you want to be there, you tend to do better."

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